The Maturity Shift

I find it fascinating to watch young people grow into young adults. Our children have been making that shift the past few years along with their friends and cousins. No longer completely self-absorbed teenagers, they have struck out on their own path and begin to display the maturity that accompanies it.

Interacting with our kids and their peers I have realized that there is a point at which I recognize a young person is growing up both socially and spiritually. It makes itself known in conversation when a young person turns the tables for the first time and actually shows conversational interest in me. Through the teen years you typically experience a unidirectional conversation. As an adult (whom you suspect a teenager does not even recognize as another viable human being) you are required to initiate the conversation. To keep the conversation going you ask more questions about them and listen as they tell you about themselves. When you run out of questions (or get tired of the teenager answering you while simultaneously looking at their cell phone as they text their friends) the conversation usually ends.

Then comes a day when the normally self-absorbed teenager sincerely asks you, “So how are you doing? What’s been going on with you?” As you answer, more questions come out. It’s possible that they’ve simply learned that social convention expects it, but I’m overjoyed when I detect sincere interest about who this old man is, what I do, and what I think. It’s a subtle shift, but when the two way conversation begins to flow I recognize that the young person with whom I’m talking has taken a huge step forward toward maturity.

Today I’m reminded that setting aside your personal agenda and taking a genuine interest in others is a conscious decision that must be made daily.